Westlake University Launches a World Model Research Center

Westlake University has officially launched its World Model Research Center at the Yungu Campus. It is a new cross-disciplinary platform focused on physical intelligence, pushing AI research from language understanding toward real-world interaction.

The center is led by Yu Kaicheng, an assistant professor at Westlake University and co-founder and chief scientist of AI company KMind. Jin Yaochu, a chair professor of AI, serves as chief scientist, with several principal investigators joining the research work.

The center focuses on world models, studying how smart systems can understand physical laws, predict changes, and make decisions through interaction. The goal is to build general world models that keep learning from real-world feedback, supporting both basic research and practical applications.